Chapter 54 "I have money, I can afford to support you."...

"Reporting to Young Madam, everything is ready. Steward Lin, please come with me." Madam Chen could tell that Meng Yuanxiao was already impatient, so she immediately led Steward Lin out.

When Chen returned, Meng Yuanxiao said, "There's no rush to buy summer clothes from the Lin family's cloth shop. I have other plans."

Madam Chen was taken aback. "Young Madam, shouldn't we discuss this matter with the First Madam before making a decision?"

“No need,” Meng Yuanxiao said, “Sister Chen, you don’t need to worry about this. I will talk to Brother Tang.”

He had intended to tell Cui Xintang that very night, but he returned home late, so he put it off for the time being.

The next day, when Meng Yuanxiao saw Mingyue, he rushed over and hugged her.

Zhang Mingyue pulled her off her, "Tsk, I'm not Cui Xintang, you can take me home and hug your husband."

Meng Yuanxiao affectionately took Mingyue's arm, "Mingyue, are you alright? Did your family scold you?"

“My family didn’t tell me; Cui Xintang didn’t tell them.” Zhang Mingyue pouted, her face showing some resentment.

"But your Cui Xintang is really fierce. The other day he came to me with a stern face and asked me how to help you deliver the painting to the Imperial Academy. His face was as sour as could be."

After saying that, Mingyue clicked her tongue and said, "Your brother Tang is just like your second brother."

When Yuanyuan gets into trouble, she never blames Yuanyuan; she only blames others, like herself.

This was the first time Meng Yuanxiao had ever heard anyone say that her brother Tang looked like her second brother. She was afraid that if the two of them heard this, they would be furious.

However, upon hearing that Brother Tang had indeed caused trouble for Mingyue, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Zhang Mingyue didn't take it to heart, but she was puzzled, "The painting was clearly handed over, so how did it end up in Cui Xintang's hands?"

Meng Yuanxiao: "...I don't know."

Zhang Mingyue sighed, "I was thinking that it would be great if my good friend could pass the painter exam. She could even get a minor official position in the future and support me!"

After saying that, he asked again, "Did Cui Xintang make things difficult for you? I've been wanting to find you, but I didn't dare. I was really afraid of him."

Meng Yuanxiao stammered as he recounted what had happened in the past few days.

Hearing that Cui Xintang had torn up her painting, Zhang Mingyue couldn't help but feel angry, but she was also somewhat surprised to hear that he had suppressed the matter.

"He actually suppressed it for you so easily? I thought he would tell the Meng family and then scold you severely with your older brother! Come to think of it, he's being quite lenient with you by doing this."

Meng Yuanxiao felt annoyed and didn't respond.

As the weather grew warmer, the two strolled around the streets for half an hour. Meng Yuanxiao decided to visit Mingyue's cloth shop and buy some summer clothes.

“Okay,” Mingyue said, “The cloth shop just got some new summer clothes, I’ll take you to take a look.”

Meng Yuanxiao's own people also needed to prepare summer clothes, so she simply bought them all at Mingyue's fabric shop and had them delivered to her own residence.

The two spent half a day browsing the fabric shop, selecting their favorite garment styles, and asked the shop's embroiderers to make them and deliver them to the Cui residence.

After choosing his clothes, Meng Yuanxiao took out a folded piece of paper from his sleeve. It was the fabric list that Manager Lin had delivered yesterday.

"Mingyue, how about we do another business deal?"

"What?" Zhang Mingyue took the form from her hand and glanced at it.

Meng Yuanxiao: "The Cui family has nearly a hundred people, and they need to buy new clothes every season. I was just thinking of changing the previous cloth shop. Anyway, it doesn't matter who I do business with, so I might as well let you do it."

Zhang Mingyue looked surprised. "Of course I have no problem with it, but will your mother-in-law agree?"

"Whether you agree or not, I want to change it," Meng Yuanxiao said. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Keep the form, and I'll give you a definite answer another day."

“No problem, I can even give you a discount, I promise I won’t make things difficult for you in front of your mother-in-law.” Zhang Mingyue readily agreed.

After the two agreed, they returned to the Cui residence, and Meng Yuanxiao immediately began to work on changing the cloth shop.

If she wants to change the fabric shop, she needs to find a reason, otherwise it will seem too deliberate, as if she is deliberately targeting the Lin family.

However, after studying the ledger for a long time, he still couldn't find any fault with the Lin family, which made things a bit difficult.

Before I could even come up with a reason, several garments that I had previously made at Mingyue's fabric shop were delivered.

The clothes were delivered in the afternoon. Meng Yuanxiao had just finished talking with Chen Shi when he excitedly pulled Hong Shao along to help her try on the new clothes.

As the two were chatting away in the bedroom, Cui Xintang came in from outside.

Meng Yuanxiao had just changed into a new outfit when she saw him come in, and couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Brother Tang, why are you back so early today?"

When Cui Xintang returned, Hongshao withdrew.

Cui Xintang casually took off his outer garment and threw it aside. He walked behind the screen, hugged and kissed the person, then leaned against the screen and said lazily, "I'm off today, so I came back early to keep you company."

Meng Yuanxiao had been so busy these past few days that he had forgotten that today was his end-of-month day off.

Wearing her new clothes, she twirled in front of the bronze mirror and asked, "Brother Tang, do I look good?"

"It looks good," Cui Xintang said without hesitation.

"Then help me choose which outfit I should wear to receive guests on Dragon Boat Festival?"

She glanced down at her clothes and muttered, "This is my first time organizing a family banquet, I can't let people look down on me."

Cui Xintang glanced at the pile of new clothes on the couch and casually said, "This one will do."

"Hmph, you're just giving me the runaround again."

“It’s beautiful to begin with,” Cui Xintang said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Meng Yuanxiao didn't hold back her boasting at all. "I'm the most beautiful girl in the entire capital!"

"Oh?" Cui Xintang was amused by her.

Meng Yuanxiao was displeased. "Isn't that right?"

“Of course,” Cui Xintang said with a smile, “Otherwise, why would Brother Tang be unwilling to marry someone else and keep waiting for Yuanyuan? Perhaps it’s because he’s gotten used to how good you are that other people are hard to find attractive.”

Meng Yuanxiao blushed slightly. She tilted her head and thought about it seriously for a moment, then chuckled and said, "If I were you, Brother Tang, you would probably be used to me and wouldn't look at anyone else anymore."

After saying that, she ran over and hugged Cui Xintang's waist. "Brother Tang, I bought these clothes at Mingyue's Cloth Shop. They are all the latest styles."

Cui Xintang paused slightly, "Aren't there embroiderers in the manor? If you have a style you like, just tell one of the embroiderers in the manor."

“Okay!” Meng Yuanxiao said.

After saying that, he added ingratiatingly, "That's right, these clothes aren't cheap. Even though Mingyue gave me a discount, it still hurts a little."

Cui Xintang naturally understood what she meant, and he said with amusement, "Isn't all my money with Yuanyuan?"

Meng Yuanxiao was finally satisfied.

"Why didn't you remember to buy it for me too?" Cui Xintang asked.

Meng Yuanxiao asked curiously, "Don't the embroiderers in your mansion make all your clothes? Besides, you usually wear your official robes when you're in the yamen."

"Oh."

His "heh" sounded rather sarcastic, but Meng Yuanxiao wasn't annoyed. She fiddled with Cui Xintang's shirt, her fingertips moving up his chest little by little, and touched his Adam's apple.

The fingertips felt smooth and warm, like a warm feather gently brushing against her. Cui Xintang froze, and her Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Meng Yuanxiao smiled smugly and hugged the person even tighter. "Brother Tang, Cousin Sun has gone back?"

"Um."

"Brother Tang, what you said last time, that you would side with me, still stands?"

"Of course it counts. When has Brother Tang ever lied to you?"

Meng Yuanxiao said, "The Lin family's cloth shop has mediocre fabrics, but the prices are not cheap. I want to replace the Lin family's cloth shop with Mingyue's cloth shop."

"Brother Tang is right. Running a cloth shop from scratch is too troublesome, so let's just switch to Mingyue's cloth shop!"

She looked at Cui Xintang expectantly, "Brother Tang, Mingyue and I have already made up our minds."

Cui Xintang: "..."

After glancing at her for a while, Cui Xintang raised his eyebrows and said, "Yuanyuan can do whatever she wants. Your brother Tang is on your side."

Meng Yuanxiao's heart sank, and she couldn't help but smile, "What about my mother-in-law?"

“I’ll talk to my mother,” Cui Xintang replied readily.

Meng Yuanxiao beamed and tiptoed to kiss him on the lips. "Mingyue is my best friend. Brother Tang, please don't let me embarrass myself in front of my best friend!"

"Mmm." Cui Xintang's large hand moved over her waist.

He said, "But let me make it clear beforehand, I might have to go on a business trip after the Dragon Boat Festival, and I'll be back in a few days. As for the matter of changing the cloth shop, I'll talk to my mother about it, and I'll also inform the steward, but if my mother..."

He paused for a moment before saying, "If something happens to my mother, Yuanyuan can no longer blame me."

Meng Yuanxiao pouted, immediately displeased.

Cui Xintang pinched her cheek helplessly, "Yuanyuan, why do you have to argue with your mother? If you ignore her, she might find it boring and just stop caring about you."

"Hmph." Meng Yuanxiao snorted a few times, looked up at him and said, "Brother Tang, let's move out."

"...Where to move to?"

“Isn’t there a ready-made one? My house!” Meng Yuanxiao rested her chin on Cui Xintang’s chest and hugged his waist tightly.

“My house is not big, but it is enough for the two of us. Some time ago, I had people add a lot of things to the house and decorate it beautifully. It is no less than the Cui family’s house.”

"Does Yuanyuan want Brother Tang to be a gigolo?" Cui Xintang said with amusement.

“It’s not impossible,” Meng Yuanxiao’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “I have money, I can afford to support you.”

Thinking about how extravagant she was with money, she couldn't help but feel guilty and added, "Even if it's not enough, I can ask my mother and older brother for more. They wouldn't bear to see me go hungry."

Cui Xintang was amused by her and reached out to gently stroke the tip of her nose. "Yuanyuan has a thick skin, but Brother Tang still has his pride."

Meng Yuanxiao was displeased. "Then you should buy another house yourself, not one belonging to the Cui family, but just a house for you and me."

She couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved. "Brother Tang, I like you, but I don't like the Cui family, and I don't really like them..."

She wanted to say that she didn't really like her mother-in-law either, but it wouldn't be appropriate to say she didn't like her in front of her son, so she swallowed her words.

Her thoughts were written all over her face; how could Cui Xintang not see through them?

He chuckled and said, "It's alright to say it out loud. Yuanyuan doesn't like her mother, and Brother Tang... doesn't like her either."

Meng Yuanxiao's eyes flickered.

"But my parents are still alive and we haven't separated our households yet. If I move out on my own, what will people think? I'm afraid Yuanyuan will be gossiped about, and Brother Tang's career will be over."

"..."

*

Once Mingyue received confirmation, she quickly delivered the full quantity of cloth.

Meng Yuanxiao was worried that her mother-in-law would blame her, but to her surprise, her mother-in-law did not ask about the matter.

Meng Yuanxiao rarely had a moment of triumph, and that night he couldn't control himself and pounced on Cui Xintang on the bed, where Ma Qi thoroughly ravaged him.

Although she was bold and lustful before, she would start to feel tired after a short while. But this night she was full of energy and made love for half an hour and still wanted more.

She sat on Cui Xintang's lap, her pretty, flushed face glistening with sweat, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

Cui Xintang was happy to be free from any effort, so he decided to take a break and let her do as she pleased.

Meng Yuanxiao patted his face and then pinched his chest. "Brother Tang, I like it like this. Can we keep doing it like this from now on?"

She spoke with great arrogance, seemingly forgetting how difficult it had been to get her to exert herself for even a short while.

Cui Xintang found it amusing, stretched out his long arm and scooped the person up, landing them on him.

He pecked Meng Yuanxiao's lips, his tone teasing, "Why not? Brother Tang doesn't need to lift a finger, I couldn't be happier."

The Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner.

The Cui family had several collateral relatives. At the banquet, men and women were separated. The women were in the flower hall in the backyard, while the men were in the front yard.

Meng Yuanxiao was busy with chores, and a wife from a collateral branch said to Wu, "With the new daughter-in-law in the family, sister-in-law must be feeling much lighter now, right? I think she looks radiant and even younger!"

Madam Wu was quite accommodating to Meng Yuanxiao, giving her a loving look, nodding, and smiling as she said, "Isn't that right? My daughter-in-law is very capable. This Dragon Boat Festival, I, as her mother-in-law, didn't have to lift a finger; she took care of everything herself."

Everyone smiled and offered a few compliments, with one person saying, "Speaking of which, it's because of your kind heart that you have such good fortune."

“Isn’t your sister-in-law kind-hearted?” said another slightly older lady. “When I first arrived, I heard the servants in the manor talking about how they received two extra sets of summer clothes this year!”

Meng Yuanxiao was stunned.

The stewards and servants in the manor are all issued two sets of clothes each season, which has always been the rule. The list of fabrics that Steward Lin gave her that day was in accordance with this rule.

Therefore, the cloth that Mingyue sent was only enough for two sets of clothes for each person.

Since it's doubled, then it can only be...

Meng Yuanxiao subconsciously looked at his mother-in-law, and seeing Wu's gentle, smiling face, he felt disgusted, as if he had swallowed a fly.

The guests didn't leave until the afternoon. After arranging things in the backyard, Meng Yuanxiao went straight to the front yard.

Upon arriving at the front yard, finding no one there, Meng Yuanxiao turned and headed towards the front hall along the long corridor.

She walked quickly but lightly, and when she reached the front hall, she immediately spotted a slender figure dressed in a green dress inside.

Meng Yuanxiao's expression changed, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Cui Xintang's slightly impatient voice came from the hall, "Didn't Mother keep the fabric you sent?"

Meng Yuanxiao's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

So Brother Tang knew.

The feeling of disgust welled up in her heart again. Meng Yuanxiao felt utterly bored. All her excited fuss over the past few days was probably just a joke in the eyes of others.

She was too lazy to pay attention to the two people in the hall, and didn't want to see their faces. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Cui Xintang say, "I have something to do. Miss Lin, if you have nothing else to do, you can go back. There's no need to bother your mother."

Perhaps because he had been drinking, his voice sounded tired and hoarse, with a hint of annoyance.

“Young Master, you don’t need to blame me,” Miss Lin said. “The First Madam may not be doing this because of me, but perhaps… because of Uncle Lin.”

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

She intended to leave, but her steps faltered in place.

A moment of silence followed, then the sound of a porcelain cup being crushed echoed through the hall.

Cui Xintang's voice, as if chilled to the bone, echoed from the hall.

"roll."

Meng Yuanxiao's heart pounded, but Miss Lin in the hall suddenly looked at her.

Miss Lin smiled at her when they met eyes.

She looked around the hall and said, "I used to come to the Cui residence often, but in just one year, even the front hall has changed. It was clearly not like this before. Even the teacups have been changed. They all look like the young mistress's favorites, don't they?"

"It seems you really spoil your young mistress!"

"Do you want me to call someone to escort you out?" Cui Xintang said coldly.

"Please do as you please," Miss Lin said with a smile, showing no fear whatsoever. "If you're not afraid that one day I will tell the young mistress everything you've done."

"..."

Miss Lin smiled and said, "So you're afraid too!"

“I am familiar with all the places in this Cui residence. Before our Lin family had our accident, the First Madam had someone take me to your courtyard.”

"The First Madam said that you are focused on your studies and don't care about anything else. You're even too lazy to take care of the courtyard. So she had someone take me to your courtyard to see how to tidy it up and add some things. Anyway, I'll be living there in the future, so I might as well decorate it according to my own preferences."

"I didn't believe it at the time, but when I got there, I found that your courtyard was indeed very deserted. I even had a plan for how to decorate the rooms, but then something suddenly happened to the Lin family."

Miss Lin sneered, "I suppose your courtyard is now decorated according to the young mistress's preferences? I was truly blind back then. Knowing that the Cui family was not a good place to settle down, I still wholeheartedly wanted to marry you. If it weren't for that, our Lin family wouldn't have ended up in this situation."

“At that time, you ignored me, but I knew there was a young lady from the Meng family. She wasn’t your sister, but you treated her better than your own sister. I was unhappy and also a little curious. One day, I saw Miss Meng at the horse farm.”

"When I saw her, I understood why you liked her. That day, Miss Meng was riding on a pony, chin held high, surrounded by a group of people, with young men fawning over her, their bodies forming a complete circle around her pony."

"Who wouldn't like such a beautiful and flamboyant young lady? Even I can't feel the slightest bit of disgust towards her."

"Not to mention, she is the apple of the eye of the Meng family and is loved by the whole family. Miss Meng is beautiful, bright and open-minded, and is also pampered. She has everything you don't."

"So, when you look at her, you should look at her like a rat in a gutter looking at the moon in the sky, right?"

Meng Yuanxiao's heart pounded, and he stood there stunned for a moment.

Miss Lin had finished speaking, then turned and smiled at her again, "Miss Meng, have you heard enough?"

Meng Yuanxiao swallowed hard, and when he came to his senses, Cui Xintang had already come out of the hall.

He reeked of alcohol, his face was cold and stern. He stopped a few steps away from her on the veranda, silently watching her.

Meng Yuanxiao's face paled slightly, and she subconsciously took a step back, her eyes red as she looked at the two people in front of her.

Miss Lin took a few steps forward and stood in front of her. Miss Lin smiled and said, "My name is Lin Qiyun, Yun from Xinyun Cloth Shop. When I named the cloth shop this, Young Master Cui did not object. Do you know why, Miss Meng?"

"..." Meng Yuanxiao's face grew even paler.

Miss Lin sighed softly, "Why did such a good young lady like Miss Meng have to be so foolish as to marry into such a disgusting place as the Cui family?"

"That's why I said that Miss Meng is somewhat similar to me when I was young. But Cui Xintang is not worthy of you at all, Miss Meng."

"Or, Miss Meng might as well ask Young Master Cui in person why the Cui family takes care of our Lin family, why Uncle Lin can frequently visit the Cui residence, and whether Young Master Cui has ever had the idea of ​​taking me into his household."

"Also, why did he suddenly want to marry you in the first place?"

These words struck Meng Yuanxiao like a thunderbolt, leaving him frozen in place, feeling as if the blood in his body had instantly frozen.

Her mind went blank, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses.

Even though she tried her best to hold back, tears still streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls.

Meng Yuanxiao pursed her lips and looked at Cui Xintang, her almond-shaped eyes filled with disgust and disbelief.

She hoped he would offer an explanation, but he remained silent for a long while before coldly uttering a single word, "Get out."

He looked at her, but spoke to Lin Qiyun.

Lin Qiyun sneered, "Don't worry, Young Master Cui, I don't have the same heavy tastes as Uncle Lin. Even if you invited me to a place like the Cui residence, I wouldn't stay long."